Evelyn Wynn Dr. Michael Williams ENGL 864: British Literature 1660-1900 June 24, 2014 Religious Poetry
Religious poems “inspire reverence for the word of God or encouragement to His devotees.” In “The Convent Threshold,” Rossetti examines the relationship between sin and repentance. Although it is not clear what specific sins the narrator and her lover have committed, the narrator is deeply concerned about her sins with her lover and believes that she must repent. She also believes that her lover should repent so they will have life after death. The narrator urges her lover to repent:
I seek the sea of glass and fire
To wash the spot, to burn the snare;
Lo, stairs are meant to lift us higher
Mount with me, mount the kindled stair. (35) Her lover does not believe that he should repent which implies that he does not share the same religion or does not view their relationship as a sinful one. Again, the narrator tells him: Your eyes look earthward, mine look up. I see the far-off city grand, Beyond the hills a watered land . . . .” Obviously, he doesn't see the need to repent. During this time period, men were more likely to be forgiven than women; therefore, his reluctance reflects the difference in their mores attributed to men and women at that time. Because women were judged more harshly, the narrator feels a sense of urgency to repent “in a hurry.” Also indicative of this time period was the agency of the church during the Victorian era. The fear of a vindictive God and the possibility of eternal damnation are reflected in this poem. Overall, it appears that the message is that love or the type of love they shared is view negatively and that we should be punished for it.
Dr. Michael Williams
ENGL 864: British Literature 1660-1900
June 24, 2014
Religious Poetry
Religious poems “inspire reverence for the word of God or encouragement to His devotees.” In “The Convent Threshold,” Rossetti examines the relationship between sin and repentance. Although it is not clear what specific sins the narrator and her lover have committed, the narrator is deeply concerned about her sins with her lover and believes that she must repent. She also believes that her lover should repent so they will have life after death. The narrator urges her lover to repent:
I seek the sea of glass and fire
To wash the spot, to burn the snare;Lo, stairs are meant to lift us higher
Mount with me, mount the kindled stair. (35)Her lover does not believe that he should repent which implies that he does not share the same religion or does not view their relationship as a sinful one. Again, the narrator tells him:
Your eyes look earthward, mine look up.
I see the far-off city grand,
Beyond the hills a watered land . . . .”
Obviously, he doesn't see the need to repent. During this time period, men were more likely to be forgiven than women; therefore, his reluctance reflects the difference in their mores attributed to men and women at that time. Because women were judged more harshly, the narrator feels a sense of urgency to repent “in a hurry.” Also indicative of this time period was the agency of the church during the Victorian era. The fear of a vindictive God and the possibility of eternal damnation are reflected in this poem. Overall, it appears that the message is that love or the type of love they shared is view negatively and that we should be punished for it.